LA LA - Belle Chasse, WhtMale 16-17, UP88342, hanged, suicide note, 14 Feb 1975 #2

[Lebowski]

like i said upthread, i'd bet money it's bayard cousins

 

[Romulus]

So, we know for a fact that he ISN'T Charles Wallace now. Other ideas?

6988DMCO - Christopher William Vigil​

​

Right 2: Age-progressed by NCMEC to 44, 53 years
Name: Christopher William Vigil
Nickname/Alias: Chris
Case Classification: Missing
Missing Since: April 30, 1978
Location Last Seen: Poudre Park, Larimer County, Colorado

Physical Description​

Date of Birth: August 24, 1968
Age: 9 years old
Race: White
Gender: Male
Height: 4'8"
Weight: 74 lbs.
Hair Color: Brown. Full head of hair.
Eye Color: Green
Distinguishing Marks/Features: He was very tall for being 9 years old.

Identifiers​

Dentals: Unknown
Fingerprints: Unknown
DNA: Available

Clothing & Personal Items​

Clothing: Chris was wearing a green shirt, green plaid pants, blue tennis shoes, and a maroon jacket.
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Carrying a can of diet Pepsi.

Circumstances of Disappearance​

Chris was last seen hiking on April 30, 1978, about midway on Grey Rock mountain trail off of Highway 14 in the Poudre Canyon. He had gone ahead of his Mom and younger brother who were hiking with him to reach a formation of boulders approximately ¾ of a mile up the trail from the trailhead. According to witnesses, Chris reached the boulders and may have been talking to an unknown male and then was heard yelling. One witness reported she picked up a can of diet Pepsi on the trail and later threw it away in the parking lot garbage.

Investigating Agency(s)​

Agency Name: Larimer County Sheriff's Office
Agency Contact Person: Sheriff John Feyen
Agency Phone Number: 970-498-7000
Agency E-mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: 78-2739
NCIC Case Number: Unknown
NamUs Case Number: 12919
NCMEC Case Number: 1183718

Information Source(s)​

NamUs
NCMEC
CBI
Christopher Vigil. Missing But Not Forgotten
The Coloradoan, Sept. 18, 2019

https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/software/mp-main.html?id=6988DMCO

​

​

 

[Sweetluv]

The above suggested went missing in 1978. The UID was found in 1975.

 

[Romulus]

The above suggested went missing in 1978. The UID was found in 1975.

Arghhh my error, sorry!

 

[Lexiintoronto]

Late to this, but I was wrong about Charles Wallace being the Belles Chase UID.

I’m astonished. The dentist said they had matching dental records and the same unusual long scar in their mouths from an injury.

I’m happy that Charles has his name back and his family has answers.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

I’m astonished. The dentist said they had matching dental records and the same unusual long scar in their mouths from an injury.

It really is hard to believe. It feels like it has to be a mistake, two missing teen boys with the same general appearance, similar dental records, and scar in their mouths? The chance of that, because of the similar mouth scar, must be tiny. But here we are. And I guess there were a lot of missing young men in the 70's.

 

[Hellandhighotters]

It really is hard to believe. It feels like it has to be a mistake, two missing teen boys with the same general appearance, similar dental records, and scar in their mouths? The chance of that, because of the similar mouth scar, must be tiny. But here we are. And I guess there were a lot of missing young men in the 70's.

I'm kinda late to this investigation but where did anyone find his dental records? in all of the sources about him I couldnt see any mentions of dental records or mouth scars, just slightly protruding teeth

 

[Rolypolyoly]

like i said upthread, i'd bet money it's bayard cousins

Yeah, I always had Bayard and Charles at the top of my list, although I was convinced he was Charles due to the dentals and mouth scar, Bayard has always been a close second choice. His photo is so much like the sketch.

 

[Lexiintoronto]

I'm kinda late to this investigation but where did anyone find his dental records? in all of the sources about him I couldnt see any mentions of dental records or mouth scars, just slightly protruding teeth

The information is in this great post:

LA Post in thread 'LA - Belle Chasse, WhtMale 16-17, UP88342, hanged, suicide note, 14 Feb 1975 #2'

Feb 14, 2024

Bringing some of the links over from the first thread.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) UP88342

Case #22-05 - LA Repository for Unidentified & Missing People

Unknown “Belle Chasse John Doe” Unknown...

On February 14, 1975, a teenage body was found dead in Belle Chasse, Louisiana. He committed suicide by hanging himself with a bed sheet from a persimmon tree. He was about 16 or 17 years old and wore yellow and maroon shirt, blue pants, mismatched socks and no shoes. Leaning against the tree...

www.findagrave.com

Belle Chasse John Doe 3/14/75 1/2

Clipping found in The Plaquemines Gazette published in Pointe-a-la-Hache, Louisiana on 3/14/1975. Belle Chasse John Doe 3/14/75 1/2

www.newspapers.com

UP88342 Unidentified male 1975 LA

Clipping found in The Tennessean published in Nashville, Tennessee on 4/4/1975. UP88342 Unidentified male 1975 LA

www.newspapers.com

UP88342 Unidentified male 1975 LA

Clipping found in The Commercial Appeal published in Memphis, Tennessee on 6/18/1975. UP88342 Unidentified male 1975 LA

www.newspapers.com

...

• MadMcGoo

• 
• 

 

[Notarobot]

I have written down that they won't reopen without consent from family, but since family is not known, it's kind of at an impasse. I think this was mentioned in the first thread on the case, if someone can locate it.

Maybe there's a way around it. If a relative of a potential match is found, could they give consent?

 

[Sweetluv]

Records were lost and this UIDs exact burial plot is unknown due to Hurricane Katrina. This is from an email exchange with FACES in 2024. There are a handful of young men I would like to see compared to this UID , but unless his remains are found, I dont know how this can be done. I find it interesting that this UID was one of Doe Networks "Cases of the Month" for December. If tips or suggestions were generated , then what!!?? My question would be, what will it take to move forward with trying to locate his remains for comparison to others? Has there been a search done ? What happens if a family member comes forward stating they think he is there relative? Im sure Hurricane Katrina hindered this case, but im not sure what the next step is with our suggestions....

 

[Hellandhighotters]

Has anyone mentioned the fact that he hung himself with a bed sheet? I feel like that implies that he lived close by.

 

[EloquentEyes1975]

Has anyone mentioned the fact that he hung himself with a bed sheet? I feel like that implies that he lived close by.

I agree, or if he had checked into a motel nearby? (I believe someone mentioned a motel in the first thread, one that would have been operating at the time.)

If he had traveled a long time i imagine it would be tiring & annoying for him to be carrying a bedsheet & a jar for ages state-to-state but then again i wonder if he could have used the bedsheet as a makeshift bag to carry the jar in.

It’s extremely unfortunate all physical evidence has been lost; it’s so frustrating, the thought that if there was any lingering DNA it’s just gone.
Of course, we know that Mr. Mothe knows where John Doe is buried but i’m not sure if Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Department are willing to try & get DNA from his remains. I hope that one day they will, i’m almost positive that if funds are needed many people from all over will be happy to help any way they can.

There’s so many possible identities for him; Bayard Cousins, Earl Anthony “Jay” Joggerst, Perry Corlew (and so, so many more, but these three i see so often).
Bayard Cousins has an absolutely shocking resemblance, and i think most of us consider him to be John Doe; but i always think about how many missing persons cases from the 1970s have been swept away with time, and i wonder if John Doe’s case unfortunately came to that fate. Or maybe he wasn’t reported missing… Maybe he was but police brushed him off as a runaway so they didn’t investigate further. Maybe his parents knew that he was John Doe and let him keep his wish. There’s so, so many unanswered questions & it leaves so many thoughts.

I hope that this year is his year; any starting action will be a massive breath of fresh air.

 

[lightofmine99]

Has anyone mentioned the fact that he hung himself with a bed sheet? I feel like that implies that he lived close by.

Or was staying in a hotel/motel.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Or took it from a clothes-line in someone's yard.
But you do have to wonder what he was doing there in Belle Chasse.

 

[cenazoic]

One of the many mysteries - where did the bedsheet come from?

Some people think he must have been local, based on the sheet and the obscurity of the location of his death.

I tend to disagree, primarily because his story was widely and frequently publicized in the months after his death, and no one local ever turned up to say “hey, that’s Joe Blow” or “looks like a kid that stayed at my h/motel” or even reported a sheet being stolen off a clothes line, that we know of.

(Jinx @ChatteringBirds !)


I can’t look it up now, but does anyone know if the sheet was ever described in more detail? Did it have any laundry marks? I don’t recall any reporting about the sheet other than its existence, so I’m not sure if they ever attempted to track down its origin.

 

[PatLaurel]

One of the many mysteries - where did the bedsheet come from?

The bedsheet and the shoes are what I keep wondering about.

MOO JMO

 

[cenazoic]

The bedsheet and the shoes are what I keep wondering about.

To me, the shoes are easily accounted for by assuming they were kicked off during his death throes. They discovered him at night, so if they went any distance they could have easily been overlooked. It wasn’t a crime scene, so probably not much, if any, searching by daylight either. I AM curious about the bottom of his socks (how dirty/clean, which might help make the kicked-off shoes theory more or less likely) but AFAIK that wasn’t reported anywhere.

The sheet, though, does imply some local access to such, as does the Mason jar. As far as I know the police never reported a bag of any kind, so you get an image of him walking down a pretty rural road on a Friday evening with a sheet and jar in hand, yet no one other than the couple who found him that night ever reported seeing such a character, or giving a ride to him, etc.

 

[Teche]

I agree, or if he had checked into a motel nearby? (I believe someone mentioned a motel in the first thread, one that would have been operating at the time.)

If he had traveled a long time i imagine it would be tiring & annoying for him to be carrying a bedsheet & a jar for ages state-to-state but then again i wonder if he could have used the bedsheet as a makeshift bag to carry the jar in.

It’s extremely unfortunate all physical evidence has been lost; it’s so frustrating, the thought that if there was any lingering DNA it’s just gone.
Of course, we know that Mr. Mothe knows where John Doe is buried but i’m not sure if Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Department are willing to try & get DNA from his remains. I hope that one day they will, i’m almost positive that if funds are needed many people from all over will be happy to help any way they can.

There’s so many possible identities for him; Bayard Cousins, Earl Anthony “Jay” Joggerst, Perry Corlew (and so, so many more, but these three i see so often).
Bayard Cousins has an absolutely shocking resemblance, and i think most of us consider him to be John Doe; but i always think about how many missing persons cases from the 1970s have been swept away with time, and i wonder if John Doe’s case unfortunately came to that fate. Or maybe he wasn’t reported missing… Maybe he was but police brushed him off as a runaway so they didn’t investigate further. Maybe his parents knew that he was John Doe and let him keep his wish. There’s so, so many unanswered questions & it leaves so many thoughts.

I hope that this year is his year; any starting action will be a massive breath of fresh air.

What did the jar contain?

 

[EloquentEyes1975]

What did the jar contain?

The jar only contained the notes/his final letter.

“His desire for anonymity did not prevent the youth from attempting to explain his reasons for taking his life to his parents in a four-page note, which he took care to seal in a jar to keep out the dew.”